


divine

by steviesbucks



Series: unholy matrimony [3]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel
Genre: Crack Treated Seriously, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Post-Episode: s06e06 Inescapable, Relationship Problems, alistair fitz is a bastard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26948152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steviesbucks/pseuds/steviesbucks
Summary: “why do you hate her so much?”“who?”“jemma simmons.” id traced the pattern of the wallpaper across from her into the pillow she was holding. leopold was in the joining bathroom, doing something she wasn’t paying attention to.
Relationships: Framework Leo Fitz/Music Box Jemma Simmons
Series: unholy matrimony [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1941484
Comments: 8
Kudos: 12





	divine

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Part 3 of this series has arrived. This is set three weeks after part two as is mentioned in the fic and there's trouble brewing in... paradise? Please be aware that this ficlet in particular mentions Alistair Fitz being a shitty, abusive dad and Leopold and Idris being rather dysfunctional as a couple so be careful if those sorts of things make you uneasy. I hope you enjoy! Despite being a bit darker than the other pieces, this has probably been my favourite to write so far!  
> Thank you a million times over to my betas [hazzarat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazzarat) and [showzen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/showzen) because they make all of this possible by supporting me! Please go check them out if you want to <3

“why do you hate her so much?”    
  
“who?”    
  
“jemma simmons.” id traced the pattern of the wallpaper across from her into the pillow she was holding. leopold was in the joining bathroom, doing something she wasn’t paying attention to. 

“why’d you want to ask about her?” he mumbled, stepping into the bedroom. he didn’t look at idris as he started to unbutton the shirt he’d been wearing that day, instead standing in front of the mirror. 

“don’t know, i just thought about it. you hate her. why?”    
  
“surely she mentioned what she did- you’re meant to be all of her worst fears or whatever, right?” 

id shrugged, even though he wasn’t looking. she kept drawing the pattern into her pillow, feeling strangely exposed. “i know why she hates you, not why you hate her.” 

“she killed my father,” he explained. it was a simple enough answer, an understandable cause, but id thought there was more than that, she could feel it. she turned her eyes to him, on his bare back as he hung his shirt back up. she could see the muscles move as he turned, imagine what it would feel like if they moved under her hands. 

“you must have loved your father very much.”    
  
“of course i did. he always wanted the best for me, wanted to see me become the man he always knew i could be. i wouldn’t be who i am today without his help.” 

id nodded a little, eyes still on leopold. he spoke casually but his jaw was tense, hands balled into fists. he wasn’t telling her the whole truth. 

“did he read you stories? take you outside? was he like those parents on the tv?”    
  
he hesitated a little, still not meeting id’s gaze. “he did what he had to do to make sure i was ready. weakness… weakness was not encouraged. it’s why i’m so strong now, because he understood there was no place for womanly sentiment. he might be considered tough, sure, but i’m better for it.” 

“is that why you wince when i move too fast?” 

he flinched a little at the direct question, messing with something in the cupboard. id realised she shouldn’t have asked that, that she’d done something wrong, and she felt a little nervous. he might ask her to leave. 

“he did- everything that he did because he cared about me, because he wanted me to be better. he knew when the world was tough, i had to be tougher. that advice saved my life many times and that subver- jemma simmons, she killed him. killed him and tried to hurt ophelia.”    
  
idris nodded a little, head turning to follow leopold as he crossed the bedroom from one side to the other, trying to find something to do with his hands. he was frustrated. she continued, however, assuming he’d make it known when he was done with her questioning. “she did tell me a little about ophelia. you were programmed to be in love with her. jemma didn’t like it.” 

“i don’t much care what jemma simmons thinks of anything,” he spat, slamming his hand down onto a chest of drawers next to the bed. id jumped a little at the sudden loud noise next to her but settled, turning to drape her legs over the side of the bed. her nightgown brushed her knees, she noted; she looked up at leopold who was now rubbing his forehead with his hand. 

“why haven’t you hurt me yet, leopold?”    
  
“what?”    
  
“if you say your father hurt you because he cared for you, why haven’t you hurt me yet?” 

he scoffed, taking a step back to put his hands on his hips. “i never said my father hurt me, and-”    
  
“you don’t need to say it, you’ve shown me enough.” she quickly got up from her seat on the end of the bed and he took a step back, the way his eyes darted around the room betraying his attempt to try and act in control of the situation. “you’ve told me you care about me yet you don’t show it.” 

“of course i show it! when i cook for you, when i run you warm baths, when i dealt with you when you went bloody barmy and start tearing things up-” 

she gritted her teeth a little, shaking her head. “you told me that wasn’t a problem! were you lying to me?”    
  
leopold groaned, rubbing his forehead once more. “i wasn’t  _ lying _ ! i just don’t know what more you want me to do!” 

“tell me you care!” she shouted, balling her hands into fists to try control their shaking. this wasn’t how this was supposed to go but she wasn’t really sure how to bring the night back to where it was, too filled with the sudden anger sparking everywhere. 

_ “i am telling you, idris, that i care! what else do you expect i can do if you won’t fucking listen?”  _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “why won’t you touch me, leopold?”  _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “what the hell is that-”  _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “the last time you touched me was three weeks ago when i came back after being gone all day and you didn’t even touch me then until we scream-”  _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “i don’t touch you because i don’t want to hurt you! because i love you!”  _

idris went quiet after that, the room silent but the sound of both of them breathing heavily and cicadas outside. she blinked a few times, still watching him standing in front of her with his arms crossed over his chest. he loved her. he’d told her so. nobody here had programmed him to do that. leopold loved her and she thought that she might just love him too, if this was what love felt like. 

she turned around, climbing into their bed they had now been sharing since that night three weeks ago. he never touched her here, either, not a brush against her arm nor any remnants of the frenzied touches the first time they’d seen each other. if the feeling racing around her body was love, then love felt warm. it felt like somebody had set her on fire but instead of pain she just felt seen. leopold followed her lead, slipping into the other side of the bed. he looked at her now; he couldn’t seem to stop looking at her and she didn’t want him to look away. 

“...i’m sorry for pushing about- her. if it helps, your little doppelganger is the reason i’m like this.” 

“like what?” the anger of their previous conversation was gone, his tone even and inquisitive. she felt his hand settle over hers but didn’t move, gaze still locked on him. 

“demonic, i suppose. messed up. scary. a monster.” these weren’t bad things in id’s eyes. she didn’t hate herself and she much preferred being herself to being anybody else. she just knew the reality of her situation. monsters weren’t so bad. 

“you’re not messed up, you’re just.. you. i’ve seen monsters. met them, known them, heard them speak. some might call me a monster. there’s nothing wrong with the way you are, monster or not.” 

“would you still care about me if i were one?” 

“i don’t think i’d be able to choose not to,” he replied, gaze faltering from hers. he looked nervous. she moved her hand to lace their fingers together, closing her eyes to listen to his breathing, feel the rough calluses against her palm, smell his shower gel. 

“you won’t hurt me, leo. you’re not a monster.” id’s promise was barely audible, spoken in a near-whisper before she dared to move closer to the man on the bed. she didn’t open her eyes, trusting him to meet her half way in whatever this was. all of it. 

“my father- like i said, he always called sentiment a weakness, but he never said how sweet it would taste.” she heard the blankets move, felt the weight next to her dip the middle of the bed.

“what does it taste like?” she whispered, shifting to rest one of her legs over his. he was so  _ warm _ , the hand not linked with hers pulling her closer so she was pressed to his chest. “tell me what it tastes like before you touch me.” 

“it tastes like everything priceless, like something unreal. weakness tastes divine.” leo spoke like he was confessing life’s sins, like this was the only thing he’d ever needed, id thought. he kissed the same way when their lips met in the middle, tender but alive. she pulled herself on top of him and slipped her right hand into his hair, the left pressing his hand into the pillow. his free hand splayed out on her back until it strayed down and around, meeting the skin exposed by her nightgown. it continued its journey further up and they kept kissing. she opened her eyes, meeting his gaze when he stopped; she nodded a little, not scared of this. 

id realised that love and weakness must be one and the same; both warm, both tasting like honey, both feeling like pure melted gold.  _   
_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you liked this piece. Feel free to leave a comment/kudos or get in contact with me on tumblr at docjemsimmons! Have an amazing day <3


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